Barn finds are always some of the most interesting vehicles. The tales they tell, how they got left behind and their potential for the future are hugely exciting. However, they get even more exciting when they are two, very rare NASCAR racers. Auto Archaeology on YouTube has come across just that. With a Plymouth Superbird and Ford Torino Talladega sat gathering dust in a barn along with a few other muscle car relics.

Remarkably, there are multiple examples of the Superbird sitting in the barn. They are all examples saved from potentially being scrapped. Several are being worked on for restoration while some will be used as spare donors for the other cars.

The Story Behind These NASCAR Barn Find Legends

Plymouth Superbird 426 Engine Specs

How these NASCAR legends ended up in this warehouse is an interesting tale. The YouTube channel says that the former owner of the cars interned at Holman Moody back in 1969. Since that time, he gained a love for what was dubbed the “aero-cars”, the first NASCARs to really introduce downforce and wings to the sport.

Due to his love for these, he managed to save a good number of them. Many were barn finds pulled from places in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. He would also go around various dealerships, attempting to find examples of the cars rusting in back lots and junkyards.

Sadly, The owner passed away recently, and his family has decided to continue his legacy. They are sorting through the collection, and finishing up a Dodge Daytona restoration. The hope is that they will be moving on to restore one of the Superbirds.

The first car on show in the YouTube video is a 1969 Dodge Charger 500, covered in quite a lot of dust. Next to it is the gorgeous 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona that the family is actively working on to bring back to its former glory. While a bit dusty, for the most part, it is in great condition. Next to it is an equally stunning Plymouth Superbird in orange.

Alongside that is another Superbird, and this one is a true barn find. It was rescued by the owner and is now in the process of being restored. That process has already begun, with the removal of the nose from the vehicle.

Another white Superbird in need of restoration, a 440 six-pack is parked next to the one currently being restored. All the Superbirds are in various states of repair or disrepair. As are the Ford Talladega’s sat in a row further down the warehouse.

The Owner Save Many Of These NASCAR Legends From The Crusher

As the YouTuber walks through the line of Fords, he points out that a few of them were super close to being crushed. Many of them owe their lives to their owner, allowing them the chance to be fully restored or be used as spare donors to help out other Fords.

The Torino Talladegas are in much worse shape than many of the Superbids we’ve already seen. The Talladega was of course a more aerodynamic version of the Torino. Inspired by the success that Dodge and Plymouth were having in NASCAR with their streamliners.

The collection also includes the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler, their version of the Ford Torino Talladega. Rumor has it that fewer than 800 of them were ever built. Meaning the examples in the barn are some of the rarest muscle cars in the world. Remarkably, there are multiple examples of the muscle car in the warehouse, something that in itself is incredibly rare.

Even more remarkable is the fact that there are Cale Yarborough specials, and Dan Gurney specials, two of the best racing drivers of their era. At an auction, these muscle cars would likely go for big sums of money.

The Aero-Cars Were Some Of The Most Dramatic In NASCAR History

How the Plymouth Superbird and Dodge Charger Daytona came into existence is a fascinating tale. At the time of their inception, Ford was cleaning up the competition in the series, and Chrysler, which owned Dodge and Plymouth, needed to fight back. The recently shut-down missile division at Chrysler came to its aid.

With a former Mercury Redstone engineer creating a nosecone for the Charger. This is what gave the world the Dodge Charger Daytona. Adding a rear wing helped to balance the extra downforce from the nose cone.

In its first race, the Daytona won and finished in third. With the results speaking for themselves, Plymouth elected to create its own version of the streamlined racer. A refined nosecone and body design created an even more aerodynamic car than its sibling.

Enter the Superbird, the new version of the Road Runner, and one of the most striking-looking muscle cars ever made. Other changes between the two racers included the higher rear wing, clearing the roofline, and allowing the wing to be in clean air. The Superbird earned most of its fame in the hands of Richard Petty, with his famous 43 and Petty Blue.

In top speed terms, the Dodge Daytona had the Edge. But the Plymouth created more downforce and had a sleeker body. Under the hood, the 433 hp Hemi V8 provided the power. With Petty staying on at Plymouth and resisting a move to Ford, he won eight races in the 1970 NASCAR season, although he wasn’t able to secure that year’s title.

The aero-cars were way ahead of their rivals. But despite their success, NASCAR wasn’t happy about their involvement in the sport.

NASCAR Would Outlaw The Aero-Cars Fearing Their Speed

The high speeds that the cars were achieving were a concern for the sport. The safety of the sport hadn’t caught up to the speed of the Superbird or Daytona, with even the tires and brakes on the cars suffering. Enough was enough for NASCAR, with rules coming in to limit the performance of the cars.

Displacement for the engines was reduced to 350 ci, with larger engines needing additional weight to offset them. While the aero-cars were still legal for the 1971 season, the power-to-weight consequences of the changes meant they would be horribly uncompetitive.

NASCAR essentially outlawed the streamliners, without actually outlawing them. So the popular new era of NASCAR was cut dramatically short. Thanks to the homologation rules, however, a number of them were built and sold for customers to use on the road. A large selection is seen in this video, with it a very rare chance to see so many of these cars together in one space.

Some of the rarest Superbirds include those with the NASCAR 426 Hemi V8 under the hood, with only 135 examples ever made. Today, the Daytona and Superbird are two of the most desirable classic cars and muscle cars in the world.